PIEKARSKA-TWARDOCHEL Magdalena

General
CANCER SURVIVOR
In January 2018 she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. In August 2018 she was declared cancer-free, and resumed training two weeks after her final chemotherapy cycle. "It brought me and my husband closer together and taught us to appreciate the little things even more, and at the same time not to worry about every little thing. And finally, it reminded us that health is most important and everything else can be bought or borrowed. Paradoxically, the illness gave me more than it took, and every day I appreciate that I am alive and get to do what I love." (chloniak.org, 01 Sep 2018)

COVID-19 IMPACT
While she trained at home during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, her husband Pawel acted as an opponent. "I would dress my husband in my fencing gear and would use him as a live target. He did not allow me to do this too often, because the outfit was too tight for him and he could hardly breathe. I also hung a mask or a tennis ball in various places and hit it. Or I would just do footwork training. In addition to fencing, I used the lockdown mainly for cardio and mental training and for improving my balance." (sport.pl, 11 Apr 2021)